The present invention generally relates to cases for accommodating rotary recording mediums (hereinafter referred to as discs), and more particularly to a disc accommodating case which is constructed to display the surface side of the disc accommodated within the case.
Generally, a disc which is recorded with information signals such as a video signal and an audio signal with high density, is accommodated within a disc case in order to protect the surface of the disc from dirt, scratches, and the like. Conventionally, there was a disc case comprising a rigid jacket for accommodating a disc, and a tray having a front part which is engaged by engaging means upon complete insertion of the disc case within a reproducing apparatus and an annular or ring portion fixed to the front part for encircling the outer periphery of the disc. The above reproducing apparatus which operates together with the disc case accommodating the disc, is constructed so that when this disc case is inserted within the reproducing apparatus to a predetermined position, the engaging means of the reproducing apparatus engages to and holds onto the front part of the tray. Hence, when the jacket is pulled out from within the reproducing apparatus, the disc is held by the annular portion of the tray and relatively slipped out from the jacket at the above predetermined position, and the outer peripheral edge part of the disc rests on and is supported by a supporting mechanism within the reproducing apparatus. Then, a turntable relatively rises within the inner side of the supporting mechanism, and the disc is placed onto and is unitarily rotated with the turntable, to perform the reproduction. After completion of the reproduction, when the empty jacket is inserted into the reproducing apparatus, the disc is relatively inserted into the jacket together with the annular portion of the tray, and the engagement of the engaging means is released. Accordingly, when the jacket is pulled out from the reproducing apparatus, the disc and the tray is obtained outside the reproducing apparatus together with the jacket in a state in which the disc and the tray is incased inside the jacket. Therefore, the disc is not directly handled by the operator when the disc is pulled out relatively from the jacket, and when the disc is inserted relatively into the jacket to be accommodated therein.
Thus, in the above disc case, for use with the conventional reproducing apparatus, the peripheral side surface of the disc is held by the engaged annular portion of the tray and the disc remains within the reproducing apparatus upon pulling of the jacket outside the reproducing apparatus. Accordingly, the relationship between the surface side of the tray and the surface side of the disc left within the reproducing apparatus does not change. Moreover, the relationship between the surface side of the tray and the surface side of the disc is constant when the jacket is inserted into the reproducing apparatus to accommodate the disc within the jacket.
On the other hand, an empty jacket is not necessarily inserted into the reproducing apparatus in a state where the relationship between the surface side of the empty jacket and the playing surface side of the disc loaded within the reproducing apparatus is constant. Further, the jacket is generally formed from an opaque synthetic resin, and even when labels are adhered onto the disc as in the conventional audio records, the disc cannot be seen directly. Accordingly, a display is required for displaying the particular surface side of the disc accommodated within the jacket, with respect to the surface side of the jacket.
Hence, conventionally, displays "1" and "2" (or "A" and "B") were respectively provided at the lid portion of the tray, in order to display which surface side of the disc is the "1" or the "2" ("A" or the "B") side. Accordingly, the displays on the tray were exposed as they are outside the jacket, in a state where the tray is engaged with the jacket. That is, the surface side of the disc is indirectly displayed by the display on the surface side of the tray, by using the fact that the relationship between the surface side of the disc and the surface side of the tray is constant regardless of the disc reproducing and disc accommodating operations performed.
Therefore, in a case where the disc and the tray are accommodated within the jacket in an erroneous state where one of the disc and the tray is in an opposite relationship with respect to a predetermined relationship between the surface sides of the disc and the tray (when the surface side "1" of the disc coincides with the surface side "2" of the tray, for example), during a process to accommodate the disc within the jacket in a manufacturing stage, the surface side of the disc displayed on the tray and the actual surface side of the disc displayed on the disc become opposite to each other. Thus, a correct surface side display could not be obtained when the relationship between the surface sides of the disc and the tray is not of a predetermined relationship, since the conventional surface side display is not a direct display and the surface side of the disc is indirectly displayed by the display on the tray.
Similarly, the correct surface side display cannot be obtained when the tray and/or the disc and manually pulled out from the jacket for a particular purpose, and then, the tray and/or the disc are erroneously accommodated within the jacket in a state where the relationship between the surface sides of the disc and the tray is of an opposite relationship as in the above described case.
In addition, attempts have been made to form the whole jacket from a transparent or semi-transparent synthetic resin. In this case, the surface side display label is adhered to the disc, and the display label of the disc which is accommodated within the jacket, can be seen through the jacket to be recognized. However, the transparent synthetic resin is inferior compared to the opaque synthetic resin with respect to durability, that is, durability against shock and heat. Moreover, the cost of the transparent synthetic resin is high, and is difficult to put to practical use.